


Happier Together

by hotelcortez



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: 3RACHA, 3racha is the famous group not stray kids, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Self-Loathing, brief (literally one sentence) mention of suicide, hate comments, mentions of slut-shaming, really cheesy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-15
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-08-24 00:17:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16629203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hotelcortez/pseuds/hotelcortez
Summary: 3RACHA is a world-famous rap group that everyone loves. Too bad not everyone loves Seo Changbin’s long-term boyfriend, Lee Felix.





	Happier Together

**Author's Note:**

> Hiiiiiiiii welcome to my new story. My writing is really bad sorry xx
> 
> This is an au where 3racha are the famous group, not Stray Kids, and Felix is Changbin's ordinary boyfriend who loves to dance.
> 
> Fun fact: this is my 7th attempt at posting this, so I really hope it works
> 
> Warnings: self-loathing, brief slut-shaming, hate comments and mentions of someone telling a character to kill themselves (this is literally one sentence). If any of this may affect you then please please please do not read. Stay safe, guys.
> 
> Also this is really long and really cheesy so enjoy!

The day 3racha had been signed was an amazing day. Felix can still remember the way Chan’s eyes shone as he stood completely still in shock, staring at the others like he wanted to kiss them, the way Jisung’s voice rang through the air as he screeched, springing up and down off the floor in pure joy, the way Changbin’s mouth opened and closed and his hands clung to his hair, clearly not knowing what else to do as he was attacked with such joyous emotion. Felix had immediately grabbed him and kissed him forcefully, grinning into the kiss when his boyfriend’s hand squeezed his shoulders.

Chan and Jisung had been so happy they hadn’t even bothered to call out Felix or Changbin on their displays of affection, secretly enjoying the way the couple were able to share the moment together. It was nothing short of beautiful how Felix beamed at Changbin like he was proud of him with every inch of his being and how Changbin stared at Felix in complete adoration, evidently ecstatic to be able to take Felix on this journey with him.

That night the couple had spontaneously decided it was time to move in together and within a month, Felix’s stuff was out of the crappy, overpriced shared house he had been staying in and moved into Chanbgin’s bigger, nicer apartment. It took a while for Felix to get used to it, especially since he had initially been reluctant to add his own touches to the place, not wanting to disturb Changbin’s idea of home. He knew home was a very precious place to a person, having moved from Australia and missing what he considered his own home so much it hurt. But Changbin reassured him endlessly and soon Felix, with Changbin’s encouragement, was altering the apartment in his own little ways and seeing his boyfriend appreciate it made him think of the apartment as his second home. Australia and his family would always be first, that didn’t necessarily mean they were better but that that was where his first memories were, and nothing could ever change that.

Within the same month, 3racha became a huge hit. Their first single blew up and the entire world went crazy talking about it, the three rappers watching in awe as their popularity rapidly grew and demands for more music appeared frequently. It had all happened so fast but none of them were complaining; the three of them were young and capable and worked day and night to build on their dream and they stepped into the future ready to take on the world.

Initially, they had worried about the strain this would put on Felix and Changbin’s relationship, but it seemed they had all forgotten what an angel the young Australian was and were immensely grateful for him when he stayed up late to bring them coffee on long nights or packed them extra food when they had to make trips, adapting easily to the fact his boyfriend was now famous and very very busy. He responded with nothing but kindness when Changbin texted him apologies about how he was going to be home late or not home at all, jokingly making the rapper promise to take him out on a later date when he was ready.

This not only made Changbin and Felix’s relationship stronger, but it also helped build on the friendship between Felix, Chan and Jisung. The three of them had gotten on well anyway, having spent so much time together and having lots in common with both Chan and Felix being from Australia and Jisung and Felix basically being twins with how close their birthdays were. But Felix got to know them so much more watching them backstage, sweat dripping down their foreheads as they smiled, truly revelling in doing what they loved. He also saw them when they were most vulnerable; when they were crying with exhaustion, when they were frustrated writing a song that just wouldn’t work, when they were overwhelmed with how suddenly their dream had come true. Felix comforted all three of them in individual ways, quickly learning what made each member feel better and always making sure he could provide it. The group soon came to realise they would be no where without Felix and they were truly glad Changbin had been lucky enough to find him.

Unfortunately, many of the fans didn’t see it that way. Changbin and Felix had never officially announced their relationship, having been together since before Changbin became famous, but they didn’t hide it either. They just lived how they usually would and Felix would cheer backstage at their concerts and hang out with them in their dressing rooms. People had started to notice the way he was popping up everywhere, but no one realised he was really Changbin’s boyfriend until a fan caught a photo of the two holding hands. Changbin had been walking Felix to work at the time, Felix was a dance teacher to small children at a local studio run by well-known choreographer Hwang Hyunjin who was not-so-secretly dating the singer/idol Kim Seungmin. The fan had obviously thought they had caught something scandalous as they immediately uploaded the photo and it was viral within hours. Changbin’s named trended in several different countries and numerous articles appeared speculating about his ‘mystery boyfriend’.

3racha initially found the whole thing pretty funny. Changbin tweeted out saying people didn’t need to make it a big deal; him and Felix had been dating for ages now and they hadn’t ever tried to hide their relationship, they just didn’t feel the need to announce it either. Many fans responded saying this was cute and asking questions about how they met, what Felix was like etc. But this was before the dark side of the internet reared its ugly head.

Felix left the studio very late that night, having been there for almost eight hours. At first, he’d only been there to teach a couple of classes but then he’d been dragged into helping Hyunjin choreograph a new dance and their practice had lasted a lot longer than they had intended. Felix’s phone had died about half way through. He’d seen some texts from Changbin explaining that they had been sighted but that he didn’t need to worry about it, so Felix wasn’t too stressed about that.

He was, however, absolutely exhausted when he walked into the apartment. A part of him was secretly hoping Changbin would be home to welcome him but he knew 3racha were planning to sleep at the studio that night as they were very close to finishing their new song, so he wouldn’t be seeing them until the next day. If he hadn’t been so tired, Felix would probably have already brought them coffee but the aches in his body were weighing him down and he just wanted to shower, have a quick goodnight phone call with Changbin and then collapse in his bed. He knew the rapper would understand.

His phone charged as he showered, and he didn’t check the device until after he had washed, dried and changed into some sweatpants and one of Changbin’s hoodies.

When he finally looked at it, his eyes widened in shock at how he suddenly had dozens upon dozens of notifications. He unlocked his phone and sat on his bed as he tried to figure out what was going on. It didn’t take him long to realise that through the photo of him and Changbin and Changbin’s tweet, fans had somehow found Felix’s own twitter. He had kept the account public, even after Changbin became famous, so he could promote his dance classes and routines that he choreographed at Hyunjin’s studio. There were hundreds of new comments and messages, the majority of them containing such intense hate it took his breath away. He felt his chest tighten and fill with hurt as he read them.

“Stop whoring around with Chanbgin.”

Felix was ashamed to admit he started tearing up. He knew he shouldn’t let the comments get to him as it was all part of being an idol. But, at the same time, Felix was not an idol and he had never experienced anything like this.

“Slut.”

A text came through from Hyunjin – “Honey, are you okay? I saw the comments.” Felix hastily clicked on the twitter account Hyunjin had created to represent the studio and choked down a sob when he saw there was hate for him all over that page now too.

“Changbin deserves so much better than you.”

His hands were shaking as he texted an apology to Hyunjin, begging him for forgiveness for ruining the studio’s reputation. The tears were coming full-force down his face now and he could barely read the text Hyunjin sent back telling Felix it wasn’t his fault.

“Stay away from Changbin.”

Felix couldn’t believe Hyunjin’s reassuing words, he couldn’t. The hate was only directed at him, so it must be his fault. Another sob dragged its way out of his throat as he brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped an arm around them, the other hand still scrolling through the comments on his phone.

“You ugly whore. Your freckles are disgusting, you look shameful next to him.”

Breathing became harder and harder as the words in front of Felix’s face became more and more blurred, the tears making it harder for him to read them but not impossible. Felix couldn’t stop himself, he kept torturing himself… he kept reading.

“Kill yourself. We don’t want you here.”

That was his breaking point. Felix barely noticed when the phone slipped out of his hand and landed on the floor next to his bed with a soft thump. The sound was drowned out by the volume of his sobs as he curled into a ball and cried.

 

. . .

 

Chan, Changbin and Jisung had been working diligently for what felt like forever and the cracks in their hard work were finally starting to show. It was evident they were going to have to take a break soon or they were going to end up hurting their song more than helping it.

The perfect opportunity arose when Chanbgin’s phone started ringing from where it was tossed by his bag on the other side of the room. He hadn’t looked at the thing since he’d tweeted out about him and Felix and texted his boyfriend explaining the whole thing. Felix had simply responded saying ‘okay xx’ and that he was going to be late in the studio and his phone was about to die so they could discuss it later. Changbin figured it would be Felix calling to say goodnight now that it was late and he would have had time to charge his phone.

With a quick glance at Chan to check he had permission to answer the call, Changbin walked over to it and his eyes widened when the contact read ‘Hyunjin’. Hyunjin was Felix’s boss and quite well-known in the idol scene so Chanbgin was pretty familiar with him, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t random to get a call from him late at night. Changbin merely shrugged and answered it anyway.

“Hello,” he said, walking back over to Chan and Jisung and re-settling himself in his chair, quickly flashing the phone to the two when they asked who he was speaking to.

“Changbin,” Hyunjin sounded worried, “Please tell me you’re with Felix right now.”

“Felix?” Changbin asked, “No, why?”  
“What do you mean why?!” Hyunjin suddenly exclaimed, catching Changbin completely off guard, “I’m worried about him! He hasn’t responded to my latest text and he was freakin’ apologising for the hate he’s getting like it’s his freakin’ fault or someth-“

“Wait a second, what do you mean hate?!” Changbin questioned, confusion and panic spurring in his chest as he quickly straightened up in his seat, not missing the confused glances he got from Chan and Jisung, “I’m putting you on speaker Hyunjin, Chan and Jisung are here.”

“How do you three not know?!” Hyunjin questioned loudly once Changbin had the phone held out so everyone could hear, “Check Felix’s twitter. Now.”

Changbin watched as Chan whipped his phone out his pocket and Jisung hastily got up to snatch his from where it had been tossed next to their bags on the other side of the room. Changbin’s pulse ramped up as he suddenly got a very, very bad feeling, figuring this had something to do with the photo of him and Felix that had surfaced earlier that day.

“Changbin,” Chan’s serious voice cut through his thoughts, “You need to see this.”

A jolt of fear shook him as Changbin quickly placed his phone of the desk, barely registering the sounds of Hyunjin shuffling around on the other end, and walked over to Chan, taking his phone from him.

What he saw made his heart drop.

Chan, as Hyunjin had said, had clicked on Felix’s account and gone to the comments. Every single one that Changbin could see was filled with vile words aimed specifically at his boyfriend. Not a single person insulted Changbin but they were all happy to say disgusting things about Felix; about his looks, his accent, his Korean skills, his dancing, his sex life and his relationship with Changbin that everyone was telling him he didn’t deserve. A spark of anger started in his fingertips and flew through his veins, setting his body alight with an intense kind of emotion he had never felt before. He thought of all the times Felix was patient and understanding when Changbin was caught up in his 3racha work and neglecting their relationship, all the times Felix helped all three members of 3racha get home and in to bed whilst they kept exhaustedly insisting they needed to work more, all the times he stayed up late with them to make sure they stayed fed and dehydrated throughout the night despite having gotten up early and worked all day at the studio himself. How dare these people say Felix didn’t deserve Changbin? Felix was the reason Changbin was still able to work so hard and people were tearing him to shreds like he was nothing, like he wasn’t the most important thing in Changbin’s life.

How dare they?

“Hyunjin,” Changbin choked the word out through clenched teeth, “I have to go. I need to call Felix.”

“Oh my god,” Hyunjin stuttered, “Why on earth are you still on the phone with me? Go!”

Changbin didn’t need to be told twice and he was quick to grab his phone and hang up. Frantically, he went to contacts and clicked on Felix, ignoring all the twitter notifications appearing at the top of his screen. His teeth gnawed on his nails as the phone rang.

Chan and Jisung were both watching him worriedly, praying that Felix would pick up. They’d both seen the hate now and were just as upset by it as Changbin, knowing full-well that Felix did not deserve a single bit of it and was likely to take it hard, having never been in the spotlight and exposed like this before.

“Voicemail!” Changbin yelled when Felix didn’t answer, “We have to go. Now.”

The boys were packed up and out of the room in thirty seconds, Chan luckily remembering to save the work on the computer before dashing out after the other two, not even glancing back to see if it had turned off.

They almost ran straight into their driver who was waiting for them outside and spluttered out a quick apology before practically throwing themselves in the car, the driver taken aback by how urgent they were all acting.

Chan quickly explained they needed to get to Changbin’s apartment as soon as possible and the driver took the hint, pressing harder on the accelerator and knowing better then to ask questions. Chan, Jisung and Changbin remained quiet, too shocked and emotional about the current situation to speak. Changbin was bouncing his knee, one hand picking at the loose threads on his jeans and the other in his mouth, teeth pulling firmly on the nails. Jisung gently laced on his fingers around this hand and pulled it down to his lap, squeezing it comfortingly. Changbin looked at him for a second and Jisung was too worried about Felix to manage a smile but he was able to look somewhat friendly and reassuring and Changbin appreciated it more than he would ever know.

The drive to the apartment was thankfully short and the members let out a quick thank you before racing inside the building and up the flight of stairs, nowhere near patient enough to even attempt to wait for the lift.

They made it up in record time and Changbin was going through his bag for the key before they even reached the door. Chan hastily helped him pull it out and pushed it inside the lock, twisting it quickly and opening the door. Once he was successfully in the apartment, Changbin stood in the doorway and called out.

“Felix!” he yelled, hoping Felix would come running to him, pulse ramping up even higher when the place remained still. He was about to take off again in search when hands grabbed him from behind.

“Shh!” Chan said, holding onto Changbin’s shoulder in what appeared to be concentration, “Listen.”

Jisung and Changbin both strained their ears and that’s when Changbin heard the sound of faint sobs coming from the direction of their bedroom. The sound broke his heart and nearly took him off his feet. Sure, Changbin had seen Felix cry before but he had never heard sounds of such sadness and desperation leaving his boyfriend’s mouth and he wasn’t even in the same room as him yet. Changbin almost turned to run away, not knowing if he was prepared to see his boyfriend like that but he had to remind himself that anything he was feeling, Felix was probably feeling ten times worse. So, he had to suck it up and be the one the comfort Felix this time… he would never forgive himself if he didn’t.

With these thoughts running through his mind, Changbin charged towards the bedroom and slowed down just before he got to the door, not wanting to scare his boyfriend with a sudden entrance. He quickly glanced at Chan and Jisung behind him, who nodded in reassurance, before turning back round and slowing pushing open the door.

“Felix, honey,” he called softly. His eyes took a couple of seconds to adjust to the darkness of the room and then landed on a small figure curled up under the blanket on the bed. Felix’s blonde hair was poking out the top, his face hidden and the blanket shaking in time with Felix’s, now much louder, sobs.

Someone may as well have put a knife in Changbin’s chest in that moment as that’s exactly what he felt had happened. The sight of his lover looking so utterly helpless terrified him, and he now realised how strong Felix was for being able to look after not only Changbin, but also Chan and Jisung, when they got like this. Audible intakes of breath from behind him alerted Changbin that Chan and Jisung were probably having the same thoughts as him and so it was now their turn to take care of Felix.

Changbin took careful steps towards the bed and then leaned over it, watching the tears stain the pillow Felix had his face buried in. He slowly raised a hand and stroked it through Felix’s soft hair, prepared for when Felix quickly whipped his head up and stared at Changbin, surprise and devastation gracing his features. Changbin tried to swallow the lump in his throat at how swollen Felix’s eyes were and how prominently the tears shone on his face, the salty liquid coating his beautiful freckles.

“Changbin?” Felix croaked out, still surprised at his boyfriend’s sudden appearance.

“Hey baby,” Changbin whispered gently, determined not to cry at how wrecked Felix’s voice sounded. He had to be the strong one now, “I’m right here, okay?”

“But…” Felix stuttered out, tangling himself further in the blanket as he tried to turn to better face Changbin, his eyes widening when they landed on Chan and Jisung in the doorway, “The studio… your song…”

“You’re more important, baby,” Changbin said sincerely and that’s all it took to set Felix off again, the sobs bubbling once more in his throat as he choked on his tears, face crinkling in emotion. Changbin was quick to toe off his shoes and lift the tangled blanket off Felix, smoothing it out and climbing carefully under it so he could pull Felix close. The blond cried into his chest and Changbin wrapped his arms around him, rubbing circles on his back and burying his face in Felix’s hair to whisper soft, comforting words into his ears. He whispered about how none of what the fans said was true, how Felix was more than deserving of Changbin, how he wished he could take away all his pain.

Sensing this wasn’t a moment that should be intruded on, Chan placed a hand on Jisung’s shoulder and carefully steered the younger out the room, quietly closing the door behind them so Felix and Changbin could have peace.

The pair were completely silent until they reached the kitchen where Chan started rummaging around the cupboards and stopped when he found the mugs, pulling four out and placing them on the counter.

“What are you doing?” Jisung asked, stood awkwardly by the table despite the numerous times he’d been in the apartment.

“Making tea,” Chan answered without looking back, “I figured we could all use some.” Jisung nodded and went the pot he knew Changbin and Felix kept their biscuits in, bringing a plate over and covering the whole thing in the sweet snacks. Chan raised an eyebrow at the sheer amount Jisung had decided to put out for them, but he merely shrugged in response.

“We haven’t eaten in hours,” he explained, “And Changbin said Felix was at the studio late tonight, so he probably hasn’t eaten either.”

“Fair enough,” Chan said, still making the tea, “We should probably make some sandwiches or something else then, I’m sure they won’t mind us using their food.”

“Nah, they won’t” Jisung agreed, going over to the fridge and pulling out what he needed before dumping it on the side and retrieving the bread, “I’ve raided their kitchen heaps of times before.”

“Yeah, I can see,” Chan commented, not failing to notice how Jisung already knew where everything was. Jisung cracked a small smile in response but it did little to lighten mood as the air was still heavy with the day’s events. Both boys were fully aware of how Felix was crying in the next room, most likely still cuddled into his boyfriend. Shock hung prominently in the air, Chan and Jisung still completely taken off guard by what had happened to their best friends. Sure, they had seen the struggles that came with dating as an idol but Felix and Changbin had always been so perfect; the couple that you could never possibly hate no matter how much you wanted to. But that had all changed now and the boys just had to hope that once people got to know Felix better, they would warm up to him. It would never erase what had happened today, but it should be enough to help them start over. It would have to be enough, because if it wasn’t, Jisung and Chan both knew that Changbin would choose Felix over fame. He’d hate it, but he’d leave 3racha in a heartbeat if he thought that it would keep Felix safe, and Chan and Jisung didn’t even think they’d try to stop him. Felix would come first, always, and Chan and Jisung wholeheartedly agreed with that. They just had to pray it would never go that far.

It took them a few minutes to finish up making the food and drinks before they settled themselves at the dining room table, no longer knowing what to say to each other. They had no idea how long they’d have to wait for either Felix or Changbin to make an appearance and so they ate slowly and in silence, trying not to think about the extra two places set at the table.

 

. . .

 

“That’s it, baby,” Changbin soothed as Felix’s sobs finally started to quieten down into small, admittedly adorable sniffles, “You’re doing so well.”

Felix spent about another minute with his head in Changbin’s chest before looking hesitantly up at him, leaning into his soft touch when Changbin reached down and gently wiped away the tears that remained on his face.

“Hey sweetie,” Changbin whispered delicately, feeling warmth rush through him now that he could stare into his boyfriend’s eyes again. Felix gushed at the pet name, momentarily forgetting the troubled situation they were in as Changbin’s fingers smoothed over his cheeks like they were as precious as diamonds and Felix melted in his embrace. Sometimes Felix wished he and Changbin could stay like this forever; bodies pressed up against one another, so close he could feel Changbin’s breath on his face and pulse under his fingers, getting high off the love they had for one another and surviving only with kisses, soft-spoken words and caresses that felt like lightning on his skin.

But the real world wasn’t like that.

Changbin and Felix had been hit especially hard by that fact today. Sure, they knew there would be struggles and their lives had been far from easy so far, but they thought that everything would always be okay as long as they at least had each other. They never thought having each other would be what caused the problems in the first place.

Felix thought back to how many fans had told him today that he didn’t deserve Changbin, and the longer Felix stared at his boyfriend, the more he realised how right they were. Changbin was beautiful in every sense of the word. He looked like a king, had the personality of a prince, and deserved to be treated like royalty, and the entire world saw that. His talent, his beauty, his kindness all left marks on the world and left people breathless, unable to be anything but starstruck by this amazing human being. At first, Felix had thought that he could somewhat compare to that. He knew he’d never be as beautiful or popular as Changbin, but he at least thought he could make Changbin happy. Now he realised how he would never be enough. The world had seen Felix for one second in one photo and they were already disgusted by him, how could someone like him even dare to think he was deserving of someone like Changbin?

“Stop that,” a low voice cut through his thoughts and his eyes flickered up to the owner, Changbin was staring at him with a smile on his face despite the concern playing on his features.

“Stop what?” Felix whispered, eyes falling down to his pillow, no longer able to look his beautiful boyfriend.

“Thinking,” Changbin said, gently tugging on Felix’s chin to pull his gaze back up. Changbin had seen his boyfriend’s eyes glaze over a few moments ago and he knew Felix was losing himself to his thoughts. And, considering what had happened that day, Changbin didn’t even want to think about what kind of sadness those thoughts would be made of. “Let’s get you out of that head of yours, yeah? I don’t want you staying in there too long.”

Felix didn’t know how to respond that and winced at the slight tinge of disgust he could feel curling inside his gut. His thoughts screaming at him about how Changbin was wasting his affection on him instead of giving it to someone who was actually worthy of it.

“Hey, I thought I told you to stop,” Changbin said with a sad smile and a nervous giggle as he watched Felix’s face fall again, “Whatever you’re telling yourself right now, whatever those voices are saying, it’s not true, alright? Please don’t put yourself down, Felix. Not now, not ever.”

“But the fans-“

“Don’t deserve to call themselves that if they don’t accept you.” Changbin’s voice was sharp and contained a level of conviction Felix didn’t hear often. The young Australian’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open.

“Changbin, you don’t mean that,” he stuttered, “You love your fans.”

“But I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love you,” Changbin said, and Felix listened, he listened so hard for the lie in Changbin’s voice, for the lie that would prove to Felix that he really wasn’t worthy of Changbin. But the lie wasn’t there, and Felix could only gasp when Changbin stared at him with such an intense look of love that it took his breath away. “Nothing comes before you Felix. Ever.”

Another sob racked its way through Felix’s body, so hard it caused his entire body to jolt as prevailing relief flew through his veins. Changbin loved him. Changbin didn’t think he was a slut, or ugly, or bad at Korean, or unworthy of him, and Felix couldn’t ever believe he had doubted that.

“I’m sorry,” he sobbed and Changbin only shook his head, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug.

“Don’t be sorry babe,” he whispered into Felix’s hair, rocking him slowly back and forth, “It’s all going to be alright, we’re going to fix this, okay? We’re going to make this all better.”

Felix only cried for a couple of minutes after that and Changbin soothed him the entire time, enjoying the way his handrs smoothed so easily over the skin on Felix’s back and he was able to feel his boyfriend slowly relax under his fingertips. It ended with Felix reaching up and placing a slow kiss to Changbin’s lips, conveying the love he could never put into words beautifully enough. Changbin responded effortlessly, his other hand cupping Felix’s chin and keeping him close even after the kiss had ended.

“I love you,” Felix whispered, eyes sparkling.

“I love you too,” Changbin whispered back, before delicately running his hand down Felix’s face and slowly over his shoulder and arm, until he eventually reached his hand, where he entwined their fingers together, “Now let’s get you cleaned up.” He pushed the blanket off them in one swift movement and gently helped Felix into a sitting position. Their hands never left each other as Changbin swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, smiling at how Felix wriggled his own legs out from where they were still under the blanket and quickly slid off, coming to stand very close to Changbin.

They walked out the room together and Changbin squeezed Felix’s hand when he noticed the way the younger was walking slightly closer to him than usual and hunching his shoulders in clear anxiety. Felix gave a small smile in response and pressed himself closer to Changbin.

They had to go through the kitchen to make it to the bathroom and that’s where they found both Chan and Jisung hunched over the dining room table. They each had an empty plate and mug in front of them and two other plates and mugs, neither empty, had been placed at the other two chairs at the table. A half-full plate of biscuits was laying in the centre. The pair were talking quietly but stopped when Changbin and Felix entered the room.

“Felix,” Chan said softly, raising his head to look at them, “Hey.”

“Hi,” Felix said timidly back, practically hiding behind Changbin despite the fact he was taller than him. Chan didn’t hesitate to rise out of his seat and walk over to his fellow-aussie to pull him into a tight hug. Felix tensed up at first but soon melted into the touch, unlacing his fingers from Changbin’s to clutch at the shoulders of his fatherly friend. Chan rubbed circles on his back and nuzzled his neck, not liking how tense Felix felt under his touch.

“I’m so sorry about what happened today,” he whispered in English, feeling Felix shake his head from where it was buried in his chest.

“It’s not your fault, hyung,” Felix whispered back, and Chan slowly pulled away, having to quickly dodge when Jisung appeared swiftly out of nowhere and barrelled into Felix, throwing his arms around him and almost tackling him into the floor.

“I’m so happy to see you!” he cried, “I was so worried about you when I saw the comments!” Felix recovered from the shock of the sudden hug and quickly brought his arms round Jisung’s waist to reciprocate it.

“I’m okay, hyung,” he reassured, not entirely sure if he meant it or not, but it still brought comfort to the three-other people in the room. They could see Felix’s red eyes and shaking hands, so it was obvious their friend was still in-shock and hurting, but they were sure now that Felix was a fighter and would be able to recover.

A few more moments passed before Jisung pulled away, leaving a hand on Felix’s shoulder.

“We made you guys some sandwiches,” he said, shyly gesturing at the table, “We know you haven’t eaten, but the tea’s probably gone cold now.”

“That’s okay,” Changbin said, stepping forward so he was next to Felix, “Honey, why don’t you get cleaned up whilst I re-heat the tea and we’ll eat together, yeah?”

“Yeah… okay,” Felix said quietly, turning around to receive a kiss on the cheek from Changbin before slowly leaving the kitchen and heading in the direction of the bathroom.

The moment he was out of sight, Changbin seemed to deflate as his face fell and his entire body hunched over. Chan slung an arm round his shoulders and guided him over to a chair, practically pushing him into it.

“You sit down,” he said, “I’ll re-heat the tea.” Changbin could only nod as he ran a hand through his hair, the exhaustion and stress of the day finally taking its toll on him, Changbin couldn’t even imagine how hard all of this was hitting Felix.

“How is he?” Jisung asked, taking a seat besides Changbin and placing his hand on the one the rapper had resting on the table.

“He’s upset… really upset,” He said shakily, “I think he actually believed the comments before we showed up, I reassured him that none of them were true and I think I got through to him a little, but not enough. It’s going to take us some time to get used to being ‘official’ and him some time to recover from the bullying today.”

“But he’s okay?” Jisung asked, gnawing on his bottom lip.

“He will be,” Changbin said firmly, “Felix is strong.”

“That he is,” Chan confirmed, placing down the two now steaming hot mugs, “But that doesn’t change the fact that we need to do something. We can’t let behaviour like this go unchecked, for Felix’s sake.”

Changbin nodded and took a sip of the teat before speaking, allowing the hot liquid to wake him up slightly and calm him nerves, “I reckon we should all tweet something, a paragraph or nice message about everything Felix has done for us. We should explain that he’s the one who’s helped us the most physically and mentally the entire time we’ve been 3racha and give examples specific to each of us. At the end of mine I’ll explain that hate towards him will not be tolerated from fans and we will take legal action if it is required. It may lose fans us but…”

“But we don’t want fans that are going to treat Felix like that,” Chan finished.

“No, we don’t,” Jisung added, “Not at all.”

“I’m glad you guys agree,” Changbin said, hands tightening around his mug in relief, “I reckon we shouldn’t tell our managers we’re doing this, they’ll try to stop us and I really don’t think they have the right to say anything involved with Felix, he isn’t managed by them. I know asking you to go against them might be too much, so I’m sorry and if you don’t want to that’s fine.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Chan reassured, reaching across the table to squeeze Changbin’s hand, “Of course we’ll do it. We stand by you and Felix, always.”

“Always,” Jisung confirmed with a smile and a nod and Changbin felt his chest swell with love for his bandmates. He couldn’t be more thankful to have them in his life, especially at a time like this when he felt like giving up. The love in his chest only grew when small shuffles were heard, and Felix’s figure appeared in the doorway, his posture was timid, and his hoodie was pulled over his hands, creating adorable sweater paws that Changbin definitely did not gush at.

“Hey baby,” he said, unable to resist a smile and Felix’s face broke out in a smile back. His eyes were still a little swollen, but all the tear tracks were gone now and his hair flopped freely in front of his face, freckles dancing gorgeously on his cheeks.

“Hey,” Felix said softly and came to sit down in the last chair, wrapping his sweater paws around his mug and bringing it to his lips. Changbin almost melted at how cute he looked, causing Chan and Jisung to cast each other knowing smirks.

“How you feeling, Felix?” Chan asked, a few moments later when he had finished drinking.

“Pretty awful,” he admitted with a sigh, eyes planted firmly on the surface of the table before he seemed to muster up the courage to slowly bring them up and look at the group, “But I’m glad you guys are all here. Really glad, actually. Thanks for coming.”

“Of course,” Jisung chirped, a sunny grin breaking out on his face, “We’re always here for you, Felix.” Felix’s eyes softened at the kind words and the corners of his lips raised against his will, the fact that Jisung and Chan had chosen to stick by him and risk their careers after the public rejected him meant more than they could ever know.

“Thank you,” he said sincerely, “You know I’m always here for you too, right?”

“Oh trust me, Felix, you’ve made that very clear over the past few months,” Chan said, looking him directly in the eye, “It’d be selfish of us not the return the favour.” Felix couldn’t stop the blush that coated his cheeks and quickly hid his face in his hands in embarrassment, a small giggle escaping him as warmth encased his body at the words Chan had said to him.

Changbin smiled at Chan in thanks before leaning over and rubbing Felix’s back, “See, baby?” he said, “I told you it was going to be okay.”

And when Felix removed his face from his hands to throw Changbin one of the most loving, happy gazes he had ever had in his life, Changbin couldn’t stop himself gazing back.

 

. . .

 

“Okay, I’m done,” Changbin said, “Is everyone ready?”

It was now the next morning and Changbin, Chan and Jisung were squashed together on the sofa in Felix and Changbin’s living room. It was still covered in blankets from where Chan and Jisung had stayed the night, but no one seemed to mind. They were too busy writing the notes about Felix they were going to tweet out and choosing the pictures they wanted to attach to them. Felix was in the shower and still had no idea they were planning to do this, so they had to work fast.

“Yep, I’m finished,” Chan said.

“Me too,” added Jisung, and Changbin took a deep breath before nodding.

“Okay, everyone tweet in 3… 2… 1!”

They all pressed send at exactly the same time and immediately the tweets appeared on each other’s timelines. Changbin decided to read what the others had written, honestly having no idea what the two would have to say about Felix. He clicked on Chan’s first:

“Hello everyone! So, as you probably know by now my bandmate and best friend Changbin was discovered to be in a relationship yesterday, with none other than a sweet boy called Lee Felix. Lee Felix, as you may know, is a fellow-aussie and so me and him became close almost immediately after Changbin introduced us. Like you, I had also been a little apprehensive at the idea of Changbin having a boyfriend as I would never, ever want to see someone break his heart. But let me tell you that Felix would never be capable of such a thing. Since dating Changbin, Felix has been the most patient, understanding, beautiful boyfriend you could ever wish for and this hasn’t once changed, not even after we were signed and Changbin struggled to care for Felix in the way that Felix cares for him. In fact, Felix has only gotten nicer. He’s the one who brings all three of us coffees late at night, even after working all day himself. He’s the one who gives us massages when we’re all tense from the stress of our jobs, even though he gets his own aches and pains from dancing all day. He’s the one who talks to me for hours and hours about Australia, even though I know he desperately misses it and talking about it can be painful for him. He is incredibly selfless and the secret, hidden backbone of 3racha. So, please, next time you write a comment, think about what you’re saying because you may be insulting the one person who has helped 3racha stick around so long. I can’t wait for you all to get to know Felix and see him in the beautiful way I do. Thanks – Chan <3 <3”

Chan had attached two photos along with the note, one was of just him and Felix. The pair were sprawled out on the sandy floor of a random beach all four of them had visited on a free day of one of their tours. Changbin and Jisung had enjoyed the beach, but not as much as the aussies who were obviously reminded of home. They had ended up rolling around in the sand together, laughing like little children at the way it tickled their skin and stuck to them. Jisung had been quick to pull out his phone to snap a photo, which Chan had only just noticed when the photo was taken and so shock and laughter coated his features in an almost comical way. Felix, however, had noticed the camera straight away and was lying behind Chan and using his fingers to mimic bunny ears coming out of Chan’s head, laughter also coating his features. Changbin smiled at the memory.

The other photo was a photo of all four of them that Felix had taken. The young Australian had come into the studio late one night to find Chan, Changbin and Jisung all passed out asleep over the same desk. He had quickly stolen each of their phones to snap a funny selfie of him pointing at them whilst they slept. It was adorable and Changbin had snorted the next morning when he’d found the one on his phone. What the picture didn’t show was that Felix had then gently woken each of them up and driven them all home, walking Chan and Jisung into their houses and to their beds to make sure they didn’t do something stupid like fall asleep with their shoes still on or something.

After taking a couple of seconds to smile at Chan for the beautiful note and photos, Changbin moved on to Jisung’s:

“Hi guys :) Jisung here! I have something very important to say today. Yesterday, a photo of two of my best friends in the whole world was leaked and I thought it would be nice to clear some stuff up. Changbin and Felix, despite what everyone has been saying, are one of the happiest couples I have ever seen. They’re like that couple in the school hallway that everyone wants to hate because they’re so affectionate but you just can’t hate them because they’re so adorable and happy and it melts your heart. Felix is honestly one of the kindest, funniest and most talented people I have ever met and Changbin is very, very lucky to have him. Fun fact: Felix and I are only born one day apart so we’re practically twins which means we are definitely best friends! And Felix takes every opportunity he can to show his! He buys me plushies of my favourite characters and lets me raid his kitchen and always makes sure he keeps stocked up on my favourite biscuits, even though it’s his biscuit tin, and hugs me when I’m stressed and helps me with my music even though he isn’t sure about a lot of it and I am so so thankful that I have him in my life and that Changbin has him in his life. You guys should also see him dance too, he’s crazy good! Thanks for reading and I hope you can learn to love Felix just as much as we do! Love you – Jisung xxxxxx”

Jisung’s playful note had three pictures attached to it. The first was simply a selfie Jisung and Felix had randomly taken together one day. They were both pulling funny faces; Jisung with his cheeks puffed out like a squirrel and Felix fake-pouting, one of his hands squeezing Jisung’s cheek and the other stretched out holding the camera. Felix’s freckles could be seen very clearly in this photo and Jisung was pointing at them, making the photo that much more funny and loveable.

The second photo was a photo of Felix and Changbin snuggled up together on the sofa. Felix was sat upright whilst Changbin was lying down with his head in Felix’s lap, face buried in his thighs. One of Felix’s small hands was tangled in his black hair and he was staring down at Changbin with a look of such adoration that Changbin couldn’t believe he had missed it at the time. Chan had obviously been trying to capture a cute moment when he took the photo, but what made it ten times better was that Jisung had photo-bombed last minute. He was poking out the side of the photo, only his head, shoulders and hands visible as he threw up two peace signs and widened his mouth comically, embodying everything that a third wheel is. Chan had wheezed immediately after he took the photo, almost falling to the floor in laughter as Jisung caught him completely off guard. Jisung had immediately demanded Chan send him the photo and made it his lock screen for two months.

The third photo was a photo of the four of them backstage at their very first 3racha concert. Chan, Changbin and Jisung all had mics in their hands and were wearing dark, edgy outfits making Felix, who was wearing a pink turtle neck and clutching the three water bottles he’d gotten for the group to his chest, look very out of place. But Changbin had insisted, seconds before they had to be on stage, that Felix be in the photo and so Felix had hurried over and quickly flashed a bright smile from where Changbin had hastily tucked him under his arm. The photo was a moment of stillness before chaos had erupted and 3racha made their first every stage debut. Changbin could still clearly remember every second of that day, particularly the way Felix had beamed at with absolute pride from backstage.

This prompted Changbin to go back and read over his own note, enjoying the trip down memory lane:

“Hi guys, it’s Changbin. I have someone very special to introduce to you today. Yesterday it was leaked that I have a boyfriend, this is not and never has been private information. My boyfriend and I just never felt we needed to announce anything as we’ve been together longer than 3racha has been signed and so he was a part of my life before all of you were. And is he equally as important. My boyfriend’s name is Lee Felix and he is the nicest, happiest, sweetest, cutest, loveliest, most interesting person I have ever met, and I honestly don’t know where I or 3racha would be without him. Remember that period after debut that everyone became concerned that we were so young and working so hard? Felix was the one who helped all three of us through that. He cooked our meals, he took us to bed when we fell asleep, he held us when we cried, he soothed us when we got frustrated, he brought us coffee when we needed it and took it away when we’d had enough, he gave us his own food when we had none, he sacrificed his own sleep to make sure we got ours and he did all of this whilst maintaining his own job of bringing fun to small children and helping out a very famous choreographer when he needed it. Felix is the most selfless person in the whole world and, because of this, I worried this meant he would struggle on nights when I had to cancel dates to work on a song, or struggle when I had to travel for long periods and he couldn’t get the time off work. But I guess I’d forgotten how much of an angel he was. He was always extremely understanding and patient and never let out relationship suffer, even when I wasn’t holding up my end. This is why neither me nor 3racha will ever tolerate any hate towards him, ever. I love Felix with my whole heart and will not hesitate to take legal action should this go any further. I want you all to love Felix just as much as I do and thank him, because I honestly don’t know if 3racha could be here without him. Thank you – Changbin.”

Changbin had also chosen to attach three photos. The first was a selfie of all four of them curled up in a hotel bed together. This was from a late night of one of their tours when they had all been unable to sleep due to the adrenalin still flowing through their veins from the concert that had only finished hours before. Changbin and Felix had been snuggled up together talking in their hotel room when Chan and Jisung had burst in and thrown themselves on the bed, yelling about a cuddle-fest and a sleepover. By the time Changbin and Felix had recovered from being jumped on, Chan and Jisung had already wormed their way under the covers and the four were pressed up against one another, limbs tangled to avoid anyone falling off the bed. The photo was taken a couple of hours later when sleep was just starting to take them. Their eye circles were dark and their hair was all over the place but they still managed to look cute when Chan held up his phone and tiredly told them all to say cheese. Jisung, at the very far end of the photo had one arm wrapped around Felix and the other making a finger heart, his face scrunched up comically and eyes sparkling. Felix was smiling widely, despite clearly being crushed underneath Jisung. Laugh lines were evident on his face, just above where Changbin was poking a finger into his cheek, the rapper looking at the camera smugly and resting his hand on Chan’s shoulder. Chan himself held up a peace sign with his free hand and stuck out his tongue, looking so young with his messy hair and eye crinkles.

The second photo was a couple photo of Changbin and Felix, his favourite couple photo of them, actually. It was after they had been signed but pre-debut and so Changbin had been committing all his time to training and producing, an obsessive need to do well fuelling his every action. Felix had noticed, of course, and one night decided he not only wanted Changbin to relax, but he also wanted to spend time with his boyfriend again. So, one night he broke into the studio and found where Changbin, Chan and Jisung were working. Without a word, he’d entered the room, grabbed Changbin’s arm, quickly saved what Changbin was writing on the computer in front of him and dragged him out the room, ignoring the spluttered protests that erupted from him and the surprised questions spoken by Chan and Jisung. Changbin had been too shocked to stop himself being pushed gently into the passenger seat of Felix’s car and they were driving by the time he thought to do anything. Felix hadn’t answered when he asked where they were going and so he resigned himself to doing whatever Felix had decided. His confusion increased when they parked at the top of an empty hill surrounded by trees, his questions ignored once again when Felix wordlessly handed him a jacket from the backseat and then grabbed a blanket and got out the car. He silently led Changbin to a clearing where the trees opened up to reveal a starry sky so beautiful it took his breath away, Changbin gasped from behind him and he turned to smile at him before sitting down on the floor and wrapping the blanket around himself, stretching it over Changbin when his boyfriend settled down next to him.

The two wordlessly watched the stars for hours that night, only stopping to share slow, occasional kisses that sent feelings of absolute love flowing through their veins. In the photo, Changbin and Felix were cuddled together under the blanket, knees pressed against their chests. Felix was pressing a kiss to Changbin’s cheek and the rapper was blushing faintly, his face embarrassed but also glowing with happiness. They’d taken it by leaning the phone against a nearby rock and setting a timer, the flash startling them when the camera clicked. But the photo turned out perfect and they printed it out when they got home that morning, Changbin still had it stuck on his studio wall.

The final photo only had Felix in it. It was from one of the rare times Changbin visited Felix at the dance studio; he’d been sitting in on one of his boyfriend’s classes on one of his days off and trying not to gush at how adorable Felix was when he interacted with the children. This had been his 5th class of the day and he was visibly exhausted but that didn’t stop the constant smiles from spreading on his face or the dance moves look any less amazing when Felix executed them perfectly in one of Changbin’s t-shirts. He looked absolutely stunning in that moment, doing what he loved with sweat dripping down his forehead and tired joy filtering through his body, the weight of the world temporarily lifted off his shoulders as he laughed and moved in time to the music. Changbin couldn’t help but wonder if the feeling of warmth he got in his chest was the same feeling that Felix got every time he got to watched Changbin from backstage, a feeling of pure pride and admiration that made his whole body tingle with joy. Changbin waited until all the kids left and watched as Felix plodded over to him and flopped onto his stomach in front of him, chin resting in his hands as he panted. He smiled happily and Changbin took his moment, hastily pulling out his phone from where he had it hidden under his sleeve and snapping a picture of Felix before he had the chance to hide his face. Felix had immediately let out a shout of protest and pounced on Changbin, trying to grab the phone. But he was too late to do anything and Changbin refused to let him delete it, loving the way every single feature of Felix’s beauty was featured in the photo. This one had also been printed out and was stuck up on the wall next to the one from their night of stargazing.

“I really love these photos, ya’know?” Chan’s voice broke Changbin out of his thoughts and he looked over to see Chan looking at all the tweets, stopping to look at each of the pictures they had chosen.

“Me too,” Changbin said and Jisung hummed in agreement. The moment was almost peaceful for a second before a shout rang through the air.

“WHY THE HELL DO I HAVE SO MANY NOTIFICATIONS?!” Felix’s deep voice sounded from somewhere in the apartment and Changbin let out a snort, preparing himself for the moment Felix saw the tweets.

Neither Changbin, Chan or Jisung moved for a whole three minutes as silence encased them again, anticipation filling every nerve in their bodies as they waited for Felix to give a sign that he’d read what they had written. Changbin was bouncing his leg and looking more and more like he was about to explode as the seconds ticked by, Jisung was preparing himself to have to take cover behind the sofa when soft footsteps approached them from the hallway.

Felix appeared in the doorway, his hands clutched tightly around his phone, mixtures of water from his wet hair and tears staining his shy face. He spoke with a shaky voice,

“Thank you, guys” he sobbed, “I love you, I love you all so much.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! That was long and my writing sucks so congrats on making it this far!
> 
> Any comments and kudos are appreciated xx
> 
> Twitter: @hotelfelixxie - I follow back and sometimes I post little mini drabbles that are too unedited or short for Ao3 if you'd like to check them out (they're in my threads) xx
> 
> Have a blessed day :)


End file.
